A Hot Springs man was sentenced to five years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to stealing a motorcycle that he wrecked while fleeing the scene of the crime earlier this year.
Justin Bradley Elmer, 28, who has remained in custody since his arrest Sept. 16, pleaded guilty in Garland County Circuit Court to theft of property more than $5,000 with his sentence to run concurrently with the violation of his probation from a 2014 conviction for theft by receiving more than $5,000. Court costs were expunged for time served.
According to the affidavit, on Sept. 10, shortly after 8:30 p.m., a local man reported the theft of his 2004 Harley-Davidson motorcycle, valued at $15,000, from the parking lot of Oaklawn Racing and Gaming, 2705 Central Ave., while he was inside the business.
While the victim was still completing the report with Hot Springs police, Officer Jason Green was dispatched to a single-vehicle wreck involving a motorcycle at the corner of Golf Links and Winans roads. He arrived and found the admitted operator of the motorcycle, identified as Elmer, lying injured on the pavement.
The motorcycle was located about 50 feet from the roadway in a densely wooded area with a "substantial amount of damage." A check of the motorcycle's vehicle identification number confirmed it was the same motorcycle stolen minutes earlier from Oaklawn.
Green states he also overheard Elmer, as emergency personnel were preparing to transport him to a hospital, saying he was trying to steal the motorcycle when he wrecked. After his release from the hospital, Elmer was taken into custody and held without bond because of his probation violation and holds on him out of Clark County.
Local on 11/07/2017